Now the richest woman in Asia-Pacific, she could challenge Christie Walton ($24.5 billion) as the world's richest woman.

Now the richest woman in Asia-Pacific, she could challenge Christie Walton ($24.5 billion) as the world's richest woman. Fortune doubled to $18 billion, thanks to a deal that will see South Korean steel giant Posco take a 15% stake in her yet-to-be-developed Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia. The deal valued the project at a staggering $10 billion.

Three of her children have launched legal action against her over the operation of a family trust, and control of at least part of her empire could be up for grabs